Camillus Erie Canal Park welcomes public, private and homeschooled students to visit the park to learn about the Erie Canal. All the school tour activities are wheelchair/handicap accessible.
School tours operate from May through June. Additional times throughout the year may be able to be accommodated. Please contact us for more details. The field trip is $3 per student. Scholarships are sometimes available. The visit takes about two and a half hours. Arrival time is usually 9:30 A.M. with tours ending around noon, just in time for lunch. A covered picnic area is available for lunch at the Park.
School tour groups rotate through three guided activities. Many guides are retired teachers and all guides are trained volunteers. The (3) forty-five minute activities are:
- A boat ride on the Enlarged Canal
- A visit to the 1850s Sims Store
- A model lock demonstration, and hike
If you have questions or would like to arrange a school tour, please contact Lisa Wiles at Lwiles@townofcamillus.com to get a date. Funding for transportation and student fee may be available through a grant called Ticket to Ride found http://eriecanalway.org
Boat Information – All of the boats have passed an annual NYS inspection for stability, safety, and passenger capacity. All captains are licensed by NYS to pilot a public vessel.
Important Information for Students/Teachers
Introduction
Erie Canal Primer for 4th grade
Midnight’s Canal Adventure Readers’ Theater
Reader Theater Script
Erie Canal Readers’ Theater
Reader Theater Script
Effect of the Canal
on the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)
Haudenosaunee Historical Background
Haudenosaunee Land Dispossession Timeline
Haudenosaunee Land Becomes Erie Canal Land
Research Projects
DBQs
Erie Canal Song
Digging The Canal
Distances & Fares
Erie Canal Cargo
Working On The Canal
Calling All Teachers
Please watch these 6 videos depicting life on the Erie Canal either before or after your visit. Videos were produced by our Education Committee and News Channel 9 WSYR.
More for Teachers!
Check out these downloadable activities to use before or after your school visit.
These activities were designed by teachers who used the activities in their own classrooms.
See what your Camillus Erie Canal field trip will be like.
Erie Canal Field Trip Into
Erie Canal Vocabulary
Erie Canal Vocab
Erie Canal Matching Cards
Erie Canal Vocab Book
Erie Canal Timeline
Erie Canal Short Timeline
Erie Canal Long Timeline
Maps
NYS Maps
Erie Canal Edible Map Recipe
Erie Canal History Cloze Activity
Erie Canal Cloze Reading
Erie Canal Cloze Answers
Erie Canal Cloze Going Through the Locks
The Erie Canal Fact Story
Erie Canal Fact Narrative
Erie Canal Fact Sheet
Erie Canal Fact Answers
Review Activity
“I Have” question and answer game
Fun Activities
Erie Canal Crossword Puzzle
Erie Canal Maze
Erie Canal Word Search